Marble Blast Ultra

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Marble Blast Ultra
Developer(s)	GarageGames
Publisher(s)	GarageGames
Engine	Torque Shader Engine
Release date(s)	January 25, 2006
Genre(s)	Puzzle
Mode(s)	Single player, multiplayer
Rating(s)	ESRB: Everyone (E)
Platform(s)	Xbox 360

Marble Blast Ultra is a 3D puzzle/action game involving a marble, available for the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade. Marble Blast Ultra is the sequel to Marble Blast for Microsoft Windows. It features 60 brand new levels, enhanced graphics, 2 new power-ups and a multiplayer mode. It is commonly referred to as MBU.

Contents 1 Gameplay 1.1 Power-ups 1.2 Controls 1.3 Obstacles 1.4 Par times 1.5 Easter Eggs 1.6 Leaderboard times 1.7 Glitches 1.8 Marble Appearance 1.9 Downloadable Content 2 Achievements 3 Multiplayer 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Gameplay

The basic gameplay involves rolling a marble around a 3D obstacle course from start to finish, avoiding the many hazards littered about. The obstacles are normally intended to throw the marble off the edge of the level, thus causing the player to "lose" and be forced to restart the level. Some levels also involve collecting gems, which must be collected before the level can be completed. Other levels may have a time limit which must be beaten. Power-ups are available on some levels which provide help to the player.

Along with the power-ups, MBU features a blast meter which allows the marble to do a double jump. The meter fills continuously and the more its filled, the higher the double jump will be. The levels are completed once the player reaches the finish line. There are 60 levels, which are divided into three different difficulty levels. Levels can be played in any order and each level features par times for the player to beat.

[edit] Power-ups

There are many power-ups in the various levels. They are:

• Super Speed: Gives the marble a single burst of extra horizontal speed.
• Super Jump: Gives the marble a single higher vertical jump.
• Ultra blast: This refills the blast meter and adds a little extra.
• Mega Marble: Makes the marble grow bigger, allowing it to avoid small holes and knock other players out of the way.
• Time Travel: Pauses time for five seconds, and helps the player qualify to "win" the level or surpass the "par" time.
• Gyrocopter: Allows the marble to glide for a short period of time.
• Gravity Modifier: Changes gravity direction.

[edit] Controls

There are three main controls to learn in the game: the ball's control, the camera control, and the jump button. The left thumbstick is used to control the ball, while the camera is controlled by the right thumbstick. There are two ways to jump, either by hitting A, or by using the left trigger-which is often overlooked. Pressing the right Trigger activates all power ups except ultra blast and obviously, gravity modifiers. To use regular blast either X, B, RB, or LB is used.

[edit] Obstacles

There are many obstacles in the game. They are:

• Level's edge: If the marble falls off a platform and nothing is there to catch it, it will go out-of-bounds and the level will automatically be restarted or the marble will be returned to the last checkpoint.
• Moving objects: The marble can get bumped off its course and sometimes the level itself by any moving object.
• Trapdoors: These open up after a few seconds, dropping the marble to a undesirable place, often out of the level.
• Fans: These blow the marble in the direction of the fan, often off the edge.
• Bumpers: These repel the marble on contact, again, usually off the edge.
• Surfaces: Along with normal terrain and regular traction, there is also gray tracking with high traction (often an advantage), slippery ice, There are also terrains made for aesthetic purposes, like asphalt.

[edit] Par times

A "par time" is the objective in a single player game. Each level has a par time and the harder the levels become, the harder the par times become. Sometimes, knowing how to properly use power-ups and when and where to jump is the key to success. The reason to do par time is to challenge oneself and to get the achievements.

[edit] Easter Eggs

Within MBU, there are 20 eggs hidden inside specific levels. No level contains more than 1 egg and most levels don't have any eggs.

[edit] Leaderboard times

This game relies heavily around the online leaderboards. Each level features leaderboard support for the fastest times recorded to the 100ths of a second. Player can compare their score to people on their "friends" list. Currently there is a glitch in the leaderboards which does not allow most people to view their friends times. GarageGames has stated they are aware of the problem and currently working on a patch for it. ^[1]

[edit] Glitches

In total, there are four "glitches" in the game that allow the player to achieve faster times and make better routes on levels easier.

• Early Start Glitch: Prior to the marble's release from the starting pad, the user must press the Start button to pause the game. The longer they wait in the start menu, the earlier their marble will be released. After the waiting, they must select Resume. Their marble will fly out of the start pad earlier, however this will not change the time on the clock. Generally it is used to make the marble reach moving platforms that can't otherwise be reached.
• Trap Launch Glitch: A trap launch is performed by trapping the marble in between two moving platforms, or a moving platform and a stationary platform by hanging about half of the marble over the edge of the platform. Once the marble comes in contact with the second platform, it will produce a grinding noise and then fly out at a very high speed. This can be used to launch across several levels such as Endurance, Survival of the Fittest, and Natural Selection.
• Modded Pads: Although this "modded pads" can be used in several games, it is primarily used in Marble Blast Ultra because the game is based on time. A modded pad can be produced in several ways: The first method requires the player to cut out a part of the left joystick in the upper-left. The second method requires the player to cut out the small white "bubble" surrounding the joystick. There are other methods, but these are the most common. The goal of both methods is to be able to push the left joystick farther in the upper-left position. Now, when the player plays Marble Blast Ultra and alters his or her camera so he or she is traveling diagonally, the marble will naturally move faster. The player can also purchase a Gameshark Pro pad which will make the marble roll faster, but requires no modding.
• A newer glitch that was found recently is the Time Travel Glitch. This glitch is very rare, however, but subtracts .01 seconds when the player reaches the goal at the exact time the Time Travel expires. This helps primarily on levels where the goal for a top time is to get to the first time travel quickly, like Bunny Slope and Cube Root. It has not been done on Cube Root yet, but could lead to the top time being pushed to 1.39 seconds.

[edit] Marble Appearance

It is also possible to change the marble's appearance. You can choose from a range of patterns or pictures and this can become your online identity.

[edit] Downloadable Content

Downloadable content was planned to be released for this game ^[2] that would include 11 new multiplayer maps and new multiplayer game modes like "Bowl" and "Blast Club"; however, it was later found out that the chances for the downloadable content being released aren't likely due to a publisher conflict.^[3]

[edit] Achievements

Marble Blast Ultra has 12 achievements (see below), which have a total of 200 Gamerscore points.

Achievement	Description	Gamerscore
Timely Marble	Finish any level under par time.	5
Apprentice's Badge	Complete all Beginner levels.	10
Journeyman's Badge	Complete all Intermediate levels.	15
Adept's Badge	Complete all Advanced levels.	25
Marble-Fu Initiate	Finish all Beginner levels under par time.	15
Marble-Fu Master	Finish all Intermediate levels under par time.	25
Marble-Fu Transcendent	Finish all Advanced levels under par time.	35
Egg Seeker	Find any hidden easter egg.	5
Egg Basket	Find all twenty easter eggs.	25
First Place	Get first place in a multiplayer match.	10
Gem Collector	Get 75 points in a multiplayer match.	10
Veteran Battler	Collect 2,000 total points in multiplayer.	20

[edit] Multiplayer

Multiplayer contains 10 levels and supports up to 8 simultaneous players. There is only 1 mode which consists of collecting gems within a certain time limit, which depends on the level. After a group of 2-6 gems are collected, another set of gems appear elsewhere on the board. Players race to these gems and use power-ups to navigate across the level quicker and interfere with other players.

There are three types of gems: Ruby red, yellow, and blue. Ruby red gems are worth one point, while yellows are worth two and blues are worth five. Most likely, blue and yellow gems will be much harder to get than pink gems. The player at the end of the time limit with the most points wins.

Ranked matches and player matches are supported along with an overall multiplayer leaderboard for ranked and player matches. Users can create a game or join one and filter parameters such as level, players, and gamer zone. Private games are also supported.

[edit] References

1. ^ Statement of patch from GarageGames from thrillskilla.wordpress.com
2. ^ *http://thexboxdomain.net/2006/08/28/dev-interview-marble-blast-ultra/
3. ^ *http://www.angrydev.com/2006/12/22/mbu-update-status/

[edit] External links

• Marble Blast Ultra